Everyday with Rin
by Plush
Summary: COMPLETE. Sequel to "Everything start from that day". Meet Fuji Rin, daugther of Fuji Syuusuke and Ryoma and the youngest of five children. This is how her life is.
1. Meet Fuji Rin

**Everyday with Rin**

Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis.

SUmmary: This is the sequel of "Everything started from that day", a fanfiction of the Prince of Tennis. Syuusuke and Ryoma are married now, and they have five children. Rin is the youngest and the only girl. See how she spend her days.

* * *

Meet Fuji Rin. She was the youngest and the only girl of the Fuji family. She has black hair with chestnut hints. She was the only one who had her mother's eyes, chocolate color with golden hints while all her brothers have their father's striking cerulean blue eye color. Height, Rin could barely reach her father's knees. It was clear, she inherited her mother's (short) height. But never mention it to her mother because her mother had a complex with her height. Plus, her father really really enjoyed making fun of her, always remaining her how short her mother was. And it seemed that Rin inherited her mother's complex too. It was pretty hard having a conversation with her if they were in standing position. Why? Because they will all get caught with stiff neck later. Her, because she had to look up at her brothers. Them, because they had to look down at her.

"Why Rin didn't have daddy's height like niisan-tachi?" she always wondered. But no one could give her an answer.

Thus, if they ever talk together, sit down! And everyone would be happy. By the way, one must never forgot to pill up a certain number of cushions for her, so she could talk to you eye to eye! She never liked being shorter than you. She must be taller than you. Thus, you pilled up as much cushions it was needed so she could meet your eyes with hers. Add a few more cushions - more than it was needed - and she will love you forever. Tip: if you want to get something from her, pill up a LOOOOOT of cushions and you'll have more chance that she would accept to do what you want from her.

Rin lived with her mother Fuji Ryoma (maiden name, Echizen), her father Fuji Syuusuke, her four big brothers Fuji Kyuu, Ryuu, Hikari and Hikaru, and cat Karupin. Her mother was now thirty four years old and was currently a full time housewife to take care of her until she would start school, but she also had a part time job. Her mother modeled for aunt Yumiko's designs. Her mother was aunt Yumiko's favorite model. Rin always accompanied her mother when her mother had to model. And aunt Yumiko also made Rin her model for children clothes. As for Rin' father, he was thirty seven. Her father worked for Atobe Corp as an executive and a production director. Her father also enjoyed doing photography. Her mother, her brothers and her are her father's favorite photography subjects. They had a whole collection of photography albums. There were pictures her father picked everywhere in the house.

All her brothers go to the same school, Seiyou Academy, a private school which had all the grades from grade one to grade 12th. Her big brother Kyuu-niisan was now attending the junior section. Ryuu-niisan will join Kyuu-niisan's division next year. Hikari-niisan and Hikaru-niisan were still in the primary division.

In short, Rin missed her brothers during the day time.

* * *

Rin loved to play with her brothers. But because her brothers weren't at home all day, she couldn't play with them. She still enjoyed spending time with her mama. They often came to visit daddy in his office, which she loved too. But he too couldn't play with her all day. He had work to do. When they stopped at his place, they would go somewhere to eat together.

It wasn't like Rin sat in a corner all day and did nothing. It was just that she preferred playing with her brothers. Everyday, when her brothers returned back home from school, she would tackle them as soon as they stepped in the house and told them how much she missed them, even if she already saw them the morning before they left for school.

Then, her brother Kyuu, 'already way too serious and way to old for his own age' as her mother described him, told her something.

"Rin, when we are not at home, you can learn to play by yourself," Kyuu said.

"Heh?!" Rin looked curiously at him. "How?"

Kyuu pondered a moment. How could he explain his point to a little girl? Kyuu frowned, thinking. Then, he saw the flower she just picked clutched in her hand. He took it and showed it to her.

"You can collected flowers and make yourself your own collection," Kyuu said.

"How?" Rin asked back. Kyuu thought again. That was true. Even if a flower was fresh when you picked it, it will eventually fade and die.

"Why don't you make a green book?" Ryuu said. Ryuu picked Rin's interest.

"What's a green book?" Rin asked.

"A green book is like a collection book you make up with the things of the nature. For example, flowers, leaves or something like that," Hikari explained.

"Each element you put in, you write the name, the day you picked it and the reason why you pick up. That way, even if your flowers won't be as fresh as when you picked them, they will still be pretty," Hikaru continued.

"You don't have to put only flowers. You can put anything that you find pretty, that you like, everything you want to put in, as long as it fits in your book!" Hikari finished. Rin reflected. It was a very interesting idea. But…

"But Rin doesn't know how to write." Rin already knew how to read a little bit. Her parents bought her talking-book stories. (A/N: Talking-nooks are story books for young children. A story is recorded with the text within the book. A child followed the text by listening to the sound of the story teller and repeated after the story teller. When he/she doesn't remember how to read a word, he/she just have to push on the button of the word and it will be read out. With talking-book, a child can learn to read with the help of a parent or alone as well.) Rin learn to read with the talking-books. Syuusuke though he must get her some new ones because she finished her last book yesterday.

"Then we will teach you how to write," Kyuu said.

"And while we are at school, you can practice writing your kanas (1)," Ryuu added. Yes, it was definitely a good idea. After all, Rin loved flowers.

"Hai! Rin will make her green book and she will learn to write!" Rin squealed. Syuusuke smiled after hearing them. Ryoma and him were very lucky to have such good children.

"Then why don't we go to buy you materials so you can learn to write and start your green book now?" Ryoma proposed. Rin's eyes shined.

"Hai, kaa-san!" she happily responded. And so, they have a little trip to the mall center for Rin.

* * *

Thus, everyday after school, Kyuu and Ryuu taught her how to write her first kanas. During the day, when her brothers were at school, Rin diligently practiced her writing. Her mother was there to help her and checked on if she correctly made her strokes. When they visited her father, she always brought with her her book to show him her latest progresses. Her father would praised her.

"Ah! My little princess is a very smart child!" Syuusuke often said, even if her hand writing was still unskilfull.

When Rin wasn't practicing her writing, she would searched for treasures to put in her green book. A pretty flower, a weird looking flower, an absolutely strange flower, a… something that was supposed to be a flower - she guessed. A pretty leaf, a leaf that looked like a funny little man, a leaf that… Frown…

_'Is that thing even a leaf?'_

Anyway, it was pretty through her eyes, so she brought home everything. With her kaa-san's help, she pressed them to dry, so they would keep a nice shape. After that they were very dried, she would stick them in her book. And with her still childish hand writing, she scribbled something that was supposed to be their name.

One day, as she was walking in the park, she saw something…


	2. Meet Ichigoniichan

An afternoon, when her brothers returned back home.

"Tadaima!"

"Okaeri," their mother greeted them.

_'Ah! They are here!'_

Hurriedly, she finished sticking what she was sticking in her book so she can show it to her brothers.

_Stitch!_

A last tape stitch and it was finished.

_Tap tap tap tap tap!_

Rin ran to them, her green book opened.

"Nii-san! Nii-san! Look what Rin found today!" she happily said. Kyuu, Ryuu, Hikari and Hikaru peered in her book.

. . .

Thunder stroke them.

"Aaaaaaaaah!" they exclaimed in horror.

Instead of a flower or a leaf, like she presented to them everyday, it was. . . a chameleon.

_A CHAMELEON!!_

"**_A CHAMELEON!!_**"

The poor little beast was stitched with tapes all over his body in her book. He couldn't move anything excepted his head, which Rin spared from the tapes. He swirled over and over his protruding eyes, wondering what happened to him and why he couldn't go anywhere anymore.

"Rin, give your book to nii-san!" Kyuu ordered, which Rin immediately obeyed. With the help of Ryuu and the twins, Kyuu succeed to safely set free the poor creature, still a little disturbed and shocked by what happened to him.

"Rin, where did you find it?" Ryuu asked her.

"Well…" Rin started to explained.

* * *

Flashback

One day, as she was walking in the park, she saw something…

Something in a tree. It was a strange green thing…

But it was pretty…

_'Pretty…'_

Rin remembered what Hikari-niichan said.

-

"You don't have to put only flowers. You can put anything that you find pretty, that you like, everything you want to put in, as long as it fits in your book!"

-

In her own world, Rin understood the worlds "anything" and "everything" liked in "anything and everything" from a five years old child's perspective.

And everything was E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G kind of things! And "as long as it fit" in her book too! Probably Hikari-niisan meant as long as the size fit in her green book.

That green thing… Rin thought it was called a "lizard". It was perched on tree and it was looking at her with his protruding eyes.

…

The green lizard stared, sticking out his long tongue.

"Ruuuu," the lizard said.

Rin stared.

Stuck out tongue. Stare.

Rin decided to have a closer look to it.

She climbed in the three.

The agile child she was, she reached the lizard in no time and sat in front of it on a branch.

"Rururu?"

She stared at it.

It stared at her.

-

_'…anything that you find pretty…' _Hikari-niisan's words echoed in her head.

-

Rin stared_._

_'It's pretty.'_

Check.

-

Protruding eyes swirled at her.

"Rururururu."

-

_'…that you like…' _Hikari-niisan said.

-

Rin stared.

_'Rin likes it.'_

Check.

-

Tongue stuck out to catch a fly. Blurt. In its stomach.

"Ruuuuuuuuu…"

-

_'…as long as it fits in your book…'_

-

Rin stared.

_'It is small. It will fit in.'_

Check.

-

Review all points.

_'It's pretty. Rin likes it. It is small.'_

It was also a thing from the nature.

So, every points checked.

Lizard's stare.

. . .

She snatched it in her hand, climbed down the tree and ran back home.

"_**RU-UCK!?**_"

_'What is this human doing to me?' _Mr. Lizard wondered, caught in surprise.

End flashback

* * *

Thus, that was how Mr. Lizard, now known as Mr. Chameleon, ended up stitched with tapes in Rin's green book.

"That's how it happened," Rin finished.

Silence in the room.

. . .

"Pfffffff…! Wuahahahahahahahahaha!" Hikari and Hikaru burst from laughter.

Syuusuke and Ryuu chuckled.

Ryoma and Kyuu sighed.

The chameleon, who was in Ryuu's hand the whole time, swirled his eyes.

_'Weird human girl!'_ he thought.

"Rin, listen to me," Kyuu said.

"Hai?"

"What Hikari meant was that you can put anything you like in your green book, as long as it fit in, and as long as **_IT IS NOT A LIVING CREATURE_**!" Kyuu emphasized each syllable of the last part.

"RUU!"

_'That's right!'_ the chameleon vividly nodded his head, agreeing.

"Oohhhh… Rin understands now," Rin said. "Then, does it mean that Rin cannot keep it?"

"Rin, a chameleon is not any kind of wild lizard. He must be someone's familiar pet. And probably, his master must be looking everywhere by now," Ryoma explained.

"Then… does it mean that Rin have to return him back to his master?" she asked.

"Yes…" Syuusuky softly said.

Rin became sad. The chameleon walked in her hands, looking up at her. She pet his head, which made him happy.

"Ruuuuuuu!" he purred.

Rin smiled. She really like him. But if he belonged to someone, then this person must like him too. Rin cannot steal it from his master. His master would be really sad too.

"Hai, Rin will return him back to his master," Rin slowly said.

Ryoma smiled and put her arms around Rin. She kissed Rin's forehead.

"That's my good little girl!" Ryoma hugged her.

"But kaa-san, Rin doesn't know who his master is and where he lives."

"Tomorrow, let's go to the police box. Probably, they can help you," Ryoma said.

"Hai!"

* * *

That night, they made a little house for the chameleon and they put it in Rin's bedroom. After that her parents tucked her in her bed and left, Rin remembered something.

-

Flashback

After that she caught the chameleon, Rin couldn't climb down the tree by her own. Like a kitten, she can climb up but not down.

She desperately looked everywhere around, in hope to find something that can help her.

But no, nothing. And she was alone.

"Bu… Bu… Buwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" she cried.

She don't remembered how long she cried like that, but her cries caught someone's attention.

The person was walking near by when he heard a little girl's cry. Curious, he followed the sound up to a tree. He was surprised to find a little girl perched in a tree. In her hands, there was a chameleon.

_'Maybe she wanted to catch her pet, who was stuck in the tree. And she got stuck herself,'_ the boy thought.

"Don't cry, little girl. A girl is prettier when she smiled," he said.

Surprised, Rin stopped crying. She looked down to see a boy. He was around Ryuu-niisan's age. But he was a stranger. Her mama told her to be careful of strangers. They can be bad people. She was wary of that boy. Seeing that, the boy smiled. He knew exactly what she was thinking.

"Don't worry. I won't hurt you. I heard you crying and I thought that you want some help," he said.

Rin bite her lips, frowning. True, she wanted help. She wanted to get down the tree, but…

But he was still a stranger. She don't trust him yet.

She looked down at him.

He looked up at her.

She looked down.

He looked up.

Down.

Up.

After many minutes of staring exchanges, Rin finally trusted him.

_'Hmm… He doesn't look like a bad person,'_ she thought. She stopped frowning, her face expression relaxed.

"Help Rin down, please," Rin said.

The boy smiled.

"Hai."

He advanced to the tree and stood right under her. He extended his arms out.

"Jump. I will catch you," he said.

Rin hesitated a moment. Will it be safe?

"Don't worry. I won't drop you," he said in a confident voice.

Rin bite her lips again, but nodded. She fidgeted a little bit, clutched firmly her hands around the chameleon, closed her eyes, and jumped.

"Oufff!"

When she opened her eyes, she was safely nested in his arms. He looked down at her, smiling.

"I told you I won't drop you, nee?"

"Hai…"

He put her down and cleaned the dust on her dress.

"There, it's alright now," he said.

"Arigatou (2)."

"Dou itashimashite (3)."

He crouched down to her height, took something from his pocket and gave to her. It was a strawberry candy.

"Here, a reward for your bravery." He pat her head. "From now on, be careful, nee!" He stood up and waved to her. "Bye bye!" And he left.

"Oh… Bye bye…" Rin waved, but he was already away.

End flashback

* * *

"Hmm… Rin forgot to ask Strawberry-niisan's name…"

Well, next she will meet him, she will ask him his name.

And she went to sleep, like the chameleon next to her.

* * *

(1) kana: Japanese writing system characters, hiragana and katakana;

(2) arigatou: thank you;

(3) dou itashimashite: you're welcome.


	3. Rin's little friends

The next day, with her mother, Rin went to the police box with the chameleon. After a little research, they found out that the chameleon belonged to the pet shop in front of the park. It looked like he escaped from his vivarium. They brought the animal back to the owner of the shop and Rin got rewarded a lollipop.

Everything was back into order, or so they thought.

The next morning, Rin found the chameleon on her window. With her mother, she went to the pet shop again to return it. But the morning after, he was still on her window.

This time, Rin brought back the chameleon the pet shop owner alone. After two days, she knew the way to go.

"Do you know what, ojou-chan (1)? I think that this little guy already adopted you. He must really likes you if he is always at your place."

"Rin likes him too, ojii-san," Rin said.

"So ka…" The shop owner took the chameleon and put it in Rin's hand. "Then why don't you keep it?"

"Ah!? But Rin…"

"I'll give it to you. I know he loves you. I prefer to know that he is safe, at your place, then always travelling out in the streets just to find you. He might get crushed by a car, you know."

"But…"

"Actually, this chameleon was given to me by a friend. He couldn't keep it anymore because he moved away. Since I own a pet shop, he gave to me. He told me to find a good family to take care of it. I believe that you are the perfect person to take care of him, ojou-chan. Don't you want to become his family?"

"Rururu," the chameleon said.

"This little one is very good guy. It's not hard to take care of him. Just give him fresh fruits and a lot of love, and he will be happy."

"Ruu!"

* * *

"So, the pet shop owner gave it to you," Kyuu said, after that Rin told them her story, the chameleon on her head.

"Hmn!"

"Ruuu."

"That's great nee, Rin-chan!" Ryuu said.

"Hai!"

"But Rin, next time, I prefer that you tell me when you want to go outside so I can go with you. I was very worry for you today," Ryoma said.

"Rin is sorry, kaa-san. Next time, Rin will tell her."

"So, how are you going to name him?" Hikari asked.

Hikaru stopped pocking the animal and watched Rin.

"Sou ka… Rin haven't think about it…" She took him down from her head and looked into his eyes.

"Ruru?" the chameleon said.

"Hmmm…" Rin concentrated hard.

"Rururu!" the chameleon said again.

"Hmmn…" Rin frowned. Then, "Ruru!" she exclaimed. "Rin will call him Ruru!"

Ryoma, Kyuu, the twins and Karupin felt in anime-style.

"You didn't have to think so hard just for a name like that," Kyuu said.

"Absolutely true!" the twins chorused, agreeing. They were a little bit disappointed. They were expecting something more funnier coming from her.

Ryuu chuckled.

"Well, I think it's a pretty name for him," Ryuu said.

"You think too, nii-san!" Rin nuzzled her cheek against the chameleon. "Ruru, from today, you are Ruru!"

"Ruuuuuu!"

And so Rin had her first pet.

* * *

However, it wasn't the last.

It came to a point that her family were wondering if she was normal. She attracted animals like a magnet attracted iron. Anyway, by some unexplained mysterious reasons, Rin became the mistress of a set of strange animals. First, there was Ruru, the chameleon. Then, Chuchu, a squirrel she found hurt on the street. She nursed him and he didn't want to leave her after. Followed by two frogs, Bee and Boo. During a rainy day, she played with them outside. They decided that they liked her, so they followed her. Then, there was Hari, a tiny owl. She thought that he was a strange animal. She wanted to study him more closely, so she brought him home. A duck and a goose decided to settle in the little pond in their garden. She named them Baker and Guu.

At first, Ryoma was pretty against the idea that her house turned out to be a zoo. She was thinking about all the troubles those animals can caused, like breaking things and leaving dirt everywhere. But strangely, they behaved very good. When Rin told them something, it was like they understood her and do everything she said. Rin told them never to leave dirt in the house, so Ryoma never saw any dirt in the house.

* * *

_'Could it be that she is gifted with the animals, that she has a special power with them?'_ Syuusuke wondered.

Well, that would certainly explained many things that happened around her. Their was an old man living not far from their house. He has a menacing dog that backed to any stranger passing in front of the old man's house. But when it was Rin, he wigged his tail to request her favors, which she always supplied him. In the local park, there was a grumpy old long hair orange cat that scratched or bite anyone who would dare to come near him bench. But when Rin came to play, he settled in her laps and enjoyed being stroke by her. She even gave him a name, Hakuchou, which meant "swan". Her brothers wondered where she saw him like a swan.

"He is gorgeous like a swan," Rin answered.

"Ha…" they hesitantly said, not sure of what to think about. _'What does she see gorgeous in him? He's ugly!'  
_

One day, Hakuchou decided to move in the house too, much to Ryoma's disarray. At first, Karupin wasn't very pleased to lost his spot as the feline master of the house. But because Hakuchou paid attention to no one other than Rin, Karupin don't mind him anymore.

One day, Syuusuke got the answer of his question…

* * *

(1) ojou-chan: little girl.


	4. Adventure in the zoo

A/N: I'm very sorry for the long awaiting time. Right now, I'm writting two fanfics by the same time, this one and "Seiyou Academy" (with Ryoma, as a girl, and Fuji again! Hehe! I just love them!). That's why you won't see me post a chapter every week day.

* * *

It was a Sunday afternoon. The family was going to the zoo. There was a new member in the zoo, a blue eyes white lion named of Leo. Leo was the main attraction that day. Everyone came to watch him lately. But Leo hated it. People keep shouting at him to turn his around so they can took his picture, flashing blinding light to him. They were noisy and disturbed his peace. Plus, he didn't eat well lately and wasn't used to the new environment he was in. He felt sick and grumpy. In other words, he was not in a good mood and particularly that Sunday afternoon.

"Waa… Pretty!" Rin said, marveled, as she watched the white creature in his den. People pushed into each other and the fence broke. Rin felt into the den of the lion.

"Hiyaaaaaaaaaah! Kaa-saaaaaan!"

"RIN!!" Syuusuke, Ryoma and her brothers yelled. Ryoma was going to jump after Rin, but Syuusuke stopped her.

"Ryoma, no!" Ryoma was crying.

"Rin!"

_'Rin! Please, be alright!'_ Syuusuke prayed.

"Let's go to find help!" Hikari and Hikaru went to search for a guard of the zoo.

"Oh my god! A little girl felt into the lion den!" a spectator said.

"What?!" People stopped pushing and yelling as they watched in horror the scene before them. Rin felt right on the head of the lion.

"Outch!"

"Rawwwwwrrrrrrr!" the lion roared, angry. Rin rolled a few feet away and knocked a rock. She bleeded a little bit on her forehead. Her forehead hurt. She wanted to express her pain. She expressed it by the only way she knows.

"Bou… Bou… Buwaaaaaaaaaaaah!" she loudly cried. It hurt a lot, to be knocked by a rock. Mad, the lion turned over to Rin and walked menacingly to her.

"Wuaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" Rin was still crying, not aware of the danger. Her head hurt so much.

"Grrrrrrrrrrrrr…" the lion slowly approahed her. Up there, Ryoma was completely frozen by fear.

"Rin…" Ryoma didn't want to watch what will happen, but she couldn't leave her eyes away from her little girl. Syuusuke hold a firm grip on her, keeping her in his arms.

_'Kami-sama, make it be alright for her. Please, protect her!'_ Syuusuke prayed.

"Kaa-san, tou-san, a rescue team will be there!" Hikari and Hikaru came to them and tell them.

The rescue team was entering the lion den. They had tranquilizer gun to shoot the lion. But when they were inside, it was too late.

"Captain, we cannot shoot the lion. He's standing right in front of the little girl!" a rescuer said.

"What?!" the captain exclaimed. If they shoot him, the lion will get angry and can hurt the little girl because the tranquilizer effect wasn't instant. He was worried.

"What should we do?" a rescue member asked.

"We must try to get the lion away of the little girl. Then, we can tranquilize him," the capitain said. "Don't rush anything that can put the little girl's live in danger!" he ordered.

"Hai!"

* * *

In the den, Rin sat down on the ground and rubbed her eyes, still crying.

"Buwaaaaaaaa! Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!"

It hurt, it really hurt, on her forehead. A shadow appeared in front of her. Rin looked up to see the lion standing just in front of her.

"Bou… Hic!" Rin higcoughed. "Bouhou… Hic! Hic! Hic! Kaa-san… Hic! Hic!"

"Rin…" Ryoma whispered, biting her lips. Syuusuke pulled her head down against his chest. He didn't know what to do nor what to think. To the horror of the spectators, the lion bend down to Rin, his mouth wide opened.

"No! I don't want to watch it!" a woman said and she fainted. The lion's mouth reached Rin's head. From the opened mouth, people could see his long fangs. The lion darted his tongue out and…

"NOOOOOOOOOO!!" Many people closed their eyes and hide their children's eyes with theirs hands. The lion darted his tongue out and…

…And licked Rin's wound.

"Huh?" Everyone was surprised. They look more closely. That's right, the lion was cleaning the little girl's wound on her forehead. They didn't expect to see that.

"Bouhou… Tou-san… Kaa-san… Hic! Hic!" Rin continued to call her parents as the lion kept licking her wound. Next, the beast proceedrf to clean her tears, licking all her face. Syuusuke and Ryoma rushed to entrance of the lion den, where the rescue team was standing. Kyuu, Ryuu and the twins followed them.

When the lion finished cleaning Rin's tear and wound, he laid against her to keep her warm. Feeling the warm body against her, Rin calm down. She stopped crying, but her eyes were puffy and her cheeks, red. She kept calling her for her mother and her father.

"Kaa-san… Tou-san…"

A member of the rescue team walked a little bit toward Rin. He wore black clothes - black boots, black pants, black vest, black cap and hold a black shotgun. He slowly walked to Rin. He stopped at a certain distant, in case the lion attacked.

"Little girl, come here with jii-san," he told her in a soft and nice voice. But Rin refused to listen. She buried her face into the lion's mane and cried again. Rin was scared of the man in black. And he was also a stranger. She preferred to stay with the lion, who wasn't scarring her. The lion roared and showed his fangs to the rescuer, telling him not to come any further near them. The rescuer cannot continue to advance. If the lion attacked, the little girl might be hurt in the process. He exited the den to report what happened to his captain.

"We must have her mother to tell her to come out by herself," the rescue-team captain concluded. As soon as he said that, Ryoma, Syuusuke and Rin's brothers appeared.

"Rin, how is she?" Hikari and Hikaru asked.

"Are you the parents of the little girl?" the rescue-team captain asked Syuusuke.

"Yes. How can we get Rin out of there without hurting her?"

"The lion doesn't seem to be dangerous to her, but he can attack if someone stepped in. The only way to rescue her, is that she walked out there by herself. But she refused to listen to us," the captain explained. He looked to Ryoma. "Madam, if you talk to her, maybe she will listen to you."

"I will go," Ryoma said.

"I will go with you," Syuusuke said. Ryoma nodded.

"Then follow me, please," the captain lead the way.

* * *

Sniff. Sniff.

"Tou-san… Kaa-san… Hic!" Rin was scared. She don't know this strange place. The nice lion was comforting her, but she wanted to see her mommy and her daddy. "Bouhou!" She buried her head in the lion's mane and cried again. The lion softly purred, as if he was trying to smooth a crying cub. "Kaa-san!" Rin whipered.

Suddenly,

"Rin…" a soft and familiar voice called her name. The voice sound like her mother's voice, but maybe it was only her imagination. Rin cuddled closer into the lion.

"Kaa-san!" Rin cried.

"Rin… it's me… It's kaa-san…" Ryoma tried again.

"Rin, look over here," Syuusuke said. Upon hearing her father's voice, Rin looked up.

"Tou-san! Kaa-san!" Rin happily exclaimed as she stood up. Ryoma made a move to rush over to Rin, but the lion immediately stood up. Fearing an attack, the lion walked to stay in front of Rin, completely blocking Rin from Ryoma's view. Syuusuke stopped Ryoma.

"No, Ryoma. It's dangerous!"

"But…"

"Let me do it…" Syuusuke said. He went down on one knee, showing to the lion that he had no bad intentions. Ryoma did the same, crouching next to Syuusuke. Understanding what he saw, the lion relaxed. He laid down on the ground, but in front of Rin. Syuusuke spoke.

"Rin…" he called.

"Tou-san," Rin answered.

"Rin, listen to me and come here."

"Tou-san, kaa-san, Rin's head hurts."

"I know sweetheart…" Ryoma softly said. "Come here and mama will stopped the hurt for you."

"Really! Hai, Rin will immediately come!" Rin hastily ran to her parents… by climbing over the lion's huge body. She didn't think about bypassing the lion. Her parents were just in front of her, on the other side of the lion, their arms spread to her. A little bit clumsy, she tripped and stomped on the ground.

"Rin!" Ryoma yelled.

This time, Syuusuke wasn't fast enough. Ryoma was already croutched down in front of Rin, not so far from the lion. The lion stood up menacingly.

"Ryoma!" Syuusuke yelled. He ran to her and faced the lion. Cerulean eyes and blue orbs met in a fierce battle of domination. Nor Syuusuke, nor the lion wanted to give up. The world froze around them.

"Kaa-san…" Rin looked up to her mother, water in her eyes. The tension between the lion and Syuusuke immediately broke. They were more concerned about Rin than about the other party. "Kaa-san… Bouhou hou… It hurts…" Ryoma picked Rin up in her arms, hugging her. Rin buried her face in Ryoma's neck.

"Bouhou… waaaaaaaa!"

"There there… It's all right now… Kaa-san is here…" Ryoma cooed. In her mother's, Rin forgot everything, even the pain on her forehead on her knees. Carefully, Syuusuke gathered his wife and child and his arms and slowly retreated, without breaking the eye contact with the lion. When they were in a safe zone again, the rescue-team made a barrier around them and they all retreat from the den.

"Alright, close the den!" the captain ordered.

"Hai!" And the door was closed.

Once the door was closed, Syuusuke finally allowed himself to break down. He snatched Rin in his arms and crushed her against himself, murmuring her name.

"Rin…" He shredded a tear. "Thanks god, you're all right…" And many other tears followed after, wetting Rin's clothes.

"Tou-san…"

"Rin! Rin!" Her brothers called her. Hikari and Hikaru squashed her between them.

"Rin! Don't scare us like that again!" they cried loudly.

"We were so worry about you," Ryuu said, his voice trembling a little bit.

"Nii-san… Rin is sorry. She didn't mean to worry you," Rin said, ready to cry again. Kyuu shook his head, wiping the tears in the corner of her eyes.

"It's all right now. Don't cry…" Kyuu said.

"Come here Rin," Ryoma said. "Let's clean your wounds." Rin came into Ryoma's opened arms and put her arms around Ryoma's neck.

* * *

That night, on the TV news, Rin's little aventure in the lion den was broadcasted around the country. A spectator recorded what happened in the zoo and gave it to the TV station. The director of the zoo said that Leo wasn't a dangerous lion, but he was not himself lately and they don't know why. That was when Rin talked.

"Leo-chan was having a toothache!" she said.

"Huh?" Her family and the staff of the zoo were dumbfounded. Rin then slipped from her mother's arms, ran passed between the guards legs and sneaked in the den again.

"Rin!" her mother and her father tried to stop her, but she was already inside.

People could see the little girl ran up to the lion and stood but a nose to him. With her two little hands, she opened his mouth and ducked her head inside. Some people fainted at the sight and Ryoma wasn't far from fainting too. Rin searched something in the lion mouth for a certain time. After a couple of minutes, she found it. Triumphal, she showed everybody what she was holding in her little hand. It was a bone, a broken bone. The bone was stuck in the lion's gum, hurting him deadly each time he ate, which was why he ate least the past week. And everybody knows that an empty stomach doesn't made anyone happy, human like animal. But this little girl saved the lion from his pain. Happy, the lion nuzzled his big nose against Rin, making her stumbled a little bit.

"Prrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!" the lion purred happily. Next, he procced to lick her face again to thank her.

"Hihihihihihi!" Rin giggled. "It tickles!"

"Prrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!" the lion purred again against her. Rin ran back to where her parents were standing. She gave the broken bone to the director of the zoo.

"Here, jii-san! Leo-chan is fine now. He no longer has any toothache!"

"Euh… Thank you, little girl," the director hesitantly said. "How did you know that he had a toothache?"

"He told Rin!" Rin said, grinning happily.

* * *

_'He told Rin!'_ Syuusuke remembered.

Syuusuke watched her sleep, cuddled in Ryoma's arms. Tonight, Rin was granted a special permission. She could sleep in her parents' bed. After what happened in the zoo, Ryoma felt like she could give anything Rin wanted if Rin asked her.

"Does it mean that she is…" Syuusuke asked no one in particular.

"Meow!" Karupin answered, as he knew what Syuusuke meant. Syuusuke wide his eyes.

"Karupin, you mean that she really…"

Karupin nodded, confirming Syuusuke's suspicion. Silence. Then Syuusuke smiled.

"Sou ka…" Rin could really understand animal languages.

_'A gift from the gods, nee!' _Syuusuke kissed Rin's forehead. _'Sleep well, my precious gifted little girl.'  
_

He put his arms around Ryoma's waist, hugging his wife and his daugther and went to sleep with them.


	5. School festival

Rin climbed the stair to the Atobe Corp. Chuchu was waiting for her on the last stair. Ruru preferred to stay on her head. When she reached the last stair, she greed the doorman.

"Ohayou, Nagata-jiji!"

"Ah! Oyahou, Rin-chan," the doorman greeted her, smiling.

"Nagata-jiji, today, Rin will visit nii-chantachi's school! Rin is very excited," she said with a huge smile.

"Ruru!" Ruru also said, echoing Rin's enthusiam.

"Chck chck chck!" Chuchu said as he climbed to Rin's shoulder.

"I can see that," the old man said, chuckling. Rin turned on her heels.

"Kaa-san, hayaku (1)! Hayaku, hayaku!" Rin pressed her mother to go faster.

"Calm down, Rin," Ryoma said as she calmly walked to the front door, Hari perched on her shoulder.

"Houhou," Hari said.

"Ohayou, Fuji-san," the doorman said.

"Ohayou, Nagata."

"Kaa-san! Hayaku!" Rin called from inside the building.

"I'm coming, Rin." Ryoma turned to the doorman. "Good day, Nagata-san."

"You too, Fuji-san."

* * *

Ding!

The doors of the elevator opened. Rin immediately rushed out and scurried in the direction of her father's office.

The office ladies giggled as they watched her. It was always fun when Rin came to visit. It was like she brought the sun inside to shine their day.

"Ohayou, Rin-chan," Satsuki, Syuusuke's secretary, said, smiling.

"Oyahou, Satsuki-neesan! Today, Rin will visit nii-chantachi's school with kaa-san and tou-san! Ruru, Chuchu and Hari too!" Rin said.

"Ruru!"

"Chck chck chck!" Chuchu wagged his tail.

"Sou ka! You must be really excited about it, nee!" Satsuki said, smiling.

"Hai! Can Rin see tou-san now?"

"Hai. He just returned back from a meeting."

"Then Rin will go ahead!" And she scamp away. Satsuki giggled.

"Kawaii!" She turned over to see Ryoma coming. "Ohayou, Fuji-san."

"Ohayou, Satsuki-san. Did you see Rin?"

"Yes. She just went away," Satsuki said, pointing to Syuusuke's office direction.

"That girl…" Ryoma sighed. Satsuki chuckled.

"It's good that she's so lively," Satsuki said.

"Sometime, I wonder where does she stock all her energy," Ryoma said. Satsuki chuckled again. "By the way, Satsuki-san, thank you for the talking-books. Rin really likes the new stories you chose for her."

"It was my pleasure, Fuji-san."

"I will go now. Have a nice day, Satsuki-san."

"You too, Fuji-san."

* * *

Syuusuke was reading over the meeting report when he heard familiar running steps coming to his door.

_Tap tap tap tap tap!_

He smiled. His doors bursted open and Rin ran to him.

"Tou-san! Tou-san! Iku yo (2)! Iku yo!"

"Ohayou, Rin," Syuusuke camly said, reminding her her manners.

"Ohayou, tou-san! Are we going now?" Rin excitedly asked. Syuusuke chuckled as he picked her up.

_'I guess nothing can swipe away her attention from visiting her brothers' school.'_

"Soon, very soon," he answered.

"Yay!"

"Syuusuke," Ryoma greeted softly.

"Ryoma." Syuusuke came to her, put an arm on her shoulder and kissed her. "Ohayou."

The door opened again. Atobe and his wife stepped in.

"Syuusuke, Ryoma, are you ready?" Keigo asked. His children and Syuusuke's ones went to the same school. They decided as well to go together for Seiyou school festival.

"Ohayou, Kei, Himiko," Ryoma greeted.

"Ohayou," Himiko greeted back.

"Himiko-baasan!" Rin jumped down from Syuusuke's arm and ran to her. "We are going now, right?" Himiko chuckled as she crouched down to Rin's level.

"Hai," Himiko said.

"Yay! Rill will go ahead!" And she scamp away. Ryoma sighed as Syuusuke and Himiko chuckled.

"Let's go now," Keigo said. He lead his wife while Syuusuke lead Ryoma.

* * *

During the ride.

"Are we here now?" Rin asked.

"Not yet Rin," Ryoma patiently answered. Rin looked outside the window. She looked outside again, her face plastered against the window. Ten seconds later.

"Are we here now?"

"No Rin, not yet." Ten seconds later.

"And now, are we here?"

"No Rin, no. Not yet." Rin fidgeted on her seat. Five seconds later.

"And now?"

Ryoma sighed. What should she do now? It was becoming a little bit tiring. Syuusuke smiled and make Rin sat down next to him.

"Rin, listen to me. If you don't stop asking questions now, you will be tired after and you won't be able to visit the whole school," he said. Rin immediately stopped. "You don't want to fall asleep half way of the day, right?" Rin vigorously shook her head. "You know that your brothers are doing a play and that there is a firework later in the night. You don't want to miss the play and the firework, right?" Rin nodded again. "Then stay in silence and behave until we arrive, okay?"

"Hai, otou-san! Rin will behave good." And Rin stopped asking her favorite question for the rest of the way. The remaining people in the Limousine were in awe.

_'Impressive persuasion power!' _Keigo, Himiko and Ryoma thought. No wonder the selling records were so outstanding since the moment Syuusuke stepped in Atobe Corp. Syuusuke chuckled. He slided an arm on Ryoma's shoulders and pulled her to him.

"Saa Ryoma, it's my win again," he whispered in her ears. "You owe me." Ryoma turned completely red and scowled.

"You pervert!" Ryoma scoffed. Syuusuke chuckled, very pleased with himself.

* * *

"Here Rin," Syuusuke said. "This is Hikari's and Hikaru's classroom."

"Honto (3)!" Rin rushed inside. "Riru nii-san!" she called as she rushed to Hikari and Hikaru.

"Oh! Rin!" Hikaru greeted her. Hikari saw Syuusuke and Ryoma behind Rin.

"Okaa-san, otou-san, ohayou!" Hikari greeted them.

"Ohayou, Hikari," Ryoma said. Syuusuke nodded to him.

"Otou-san, okaasan, this is Yamaki-sensei (4), our homeroom teacher," Hikari presented to Syuusuke and to Ryoma a woman in her forty. "Yamaki-sensei, his is our mother and our father."

"Ah! Fuji-fusai (5), ohayou," Yamaki-sensei bowed. Syuusuke and Ryoma bowed back to her.

"Oyahou, Yamaki-sensei. Thank you for taking care of Hikari and Hikaru," Ryoma said.

"Iie (6), it's nothing. Even if sometime they can be a little bit mischievous, Fuji-tachi (7) are goods students."

* * *

"Otou-san, okaa-san, ohayou," Kyuu said. Ryuu was with him.

"Kyuu, Ryuu," Syuusuke said.

"Oyahou," Ryoma greeted.

"Kyuu-nii, Ryuu-nii, why are you in this class too?" Rin asked, dumbfounded. "Did you drop grade?"

"Pffffffffft!" Hikari and Hikaru snickered. Kyuu sweat dropped as Ryuu chuckled.

"No, no. We just knew that you were there so we came to see you," Ryuu explained.

"Oh! Then Rin is relieved," Rin said. "It would be too strange that Kyuu-nii can drop grade!"

Hikari, Hikaru and Ryuu snickered. Kyuu grunted.

"Ahh! Rin-chan, you're so cute !" someone squealed and Rin got glomped by two people.

"Kaori-neechan, Aori-neechan! Ohayou!" Rin said, giggling.

"Hey, Atobe! Hands off from out little sister!" Hikaru said.

"Why? We don't often see her! Can't we just have a moment?" Aori said.

"Nee, Rin-chan! Why don't you come at our place tonight? Nee-san have a lot of fun games," Kaori said.

"Honto (8)!" Rin exclaimed. Hikaru snatched Rin off from the Atobe twins sisters.

"Stop trying to corrupt Rin, would you! She's not going anywhere with you!" Hikaru and the Atobe twins started to fight over Rin. Hikari sighed as he took Rin from Hikaru.

"So, Hikari, this is your little sister?" Mamoru, a classmate, asked.

"Hmn!" Hikari nodded. "Her name is Rin. She's the youngest and the only girl in the family."

"She's cute!" Aoko, another classmate, said. "But how is Riru?"

"That's us together. She said it's too long to call our whole names. So she took the ending and put them together. That's how we became Riru," Hikari explained.

"How old is she?"

"She's five. She will start school next spring," Hikaru said. He had stopped arguing with the Atobe twins.

"But she already knows how to read and to write," Ryuu said.

"What?! Really?!"

"Hmn!" Rin nodded enthusiasticly. "Rin knows how to read and write! Kyuu-nii and Ryuu-nii taught Rin," Rin said.

"Rin, why don't you write something to show them what you can do?" Ryuu said.

"Hai!"

"Here, take this pencil and this notebook," Hikaru said as he sat her on his desk. Rin thought for a moment, then she scribbled down in Hikaru's notebook. After a moment, she set the pen down.

"Rin finishes," she said. Hikaru took the notebook.

"Let see…" Hikaru said as he scanned over the unskillful but clean written kanas. He started to read. "Rin's name Rin. Rin likes to eat ice cream. Rin likes most ice cream. Rin's favorite ice cream flavor is green tea with wasabi on the top."

"Ice cream…" someone said.

"…with wasabi…?" another person completed. People shivered.

_'Yurk!' _they thought.

Syuusuke snickered as Ryoma glared him. Even if Rin inherited her physical appearance from her mother, her bud tastes were definitely from her father. When Syuusuke first gave Rin ice scream with a spoon which had a little bit wasabi on it, Ryoma nearly killed him, accusing of poisoning the little girl. But Rin loved it and requested more ice cream with wasabi. Ryoma got killed by her own daughter's taste buds that day.

"Rin also likes to sleep," Hikaru continued. "Rin's favorite pillow is… (Blink blink. Read again. Blink) P-Pfffff!… Hahahahahahaha!"

"Hikaru, stopped laughing and continue!" Hikari said.

"Hahahahahaha!" Hikaru was still laughing, clutching his stomach. Hikari snatched the paper from Hikaru's hands.

"So where was it… Ah! Here!" Hikari cleared his throat and continued to read Rin's short writing. "Rin's favorite pillow is… P-Pfffffff!… Wuahahahaha!" Hikari joined Hikaru, clutching his stomach too. The twins gave up reading because they couldn't stop laughing. Curious, Ryuu took the paper from Hikari's hand.

"Hmm… Rin's favorite pillow is… P-Pfffff!… (sniker) is… (sniker, silent laugh)… Rin's favorite pillow is Kyuu-nii's… P-Pffff! (chuckle) …is Kyuu-nii's belly… P-Pffff! Humhumhum! …because it's… (chuckle)… because it's warm and soft… (one second silence, bitting lips) Hahahahaha!" Ryuu managed to finished reading despite that he was laughing like the twins too.

"Hahahahaha!" Laughs erupted in the classroom. Rin beamed, proud that she wrote such a good text. And it seemed like people liked her writing because they were laughing. Syuusuke snikered behind his hand. Ryoma sweat dropped, then glare menacingly at her husband. Her eyes were telling him "You stop it right now!" Kyuu had many veins popped around his head as he watched Hikari, Hikaru and Ryuu laughed at him.

"Hihihihihihi!" Rin giggled. "And Rin will become a doctor for animals when she will grow up! " Rin finished.

"Rin (chuckle), a doctor for animal… (chuckle, sweeping a tear) …is called a ve-te-ri-na-ry," Ryuu said.

"Then when Rin will grow up, she will be a ve-te-ri-na-ry. Nee Ruru, Chuchu, Hari?" Rin said.

"Ruru! Squick squick squick! Houhou!" Ruru, Chuchu and Hari cheered.

* * *

After Hikari's and Hikaru's class, they visited Ryuu's one, and finished with Kyuu's. Kyuu's class hold a mini-café outside. Kyuu's break time was over, so he would serve his family. He left to change clothes will Syuusuke, Ryoma, Ryuu, the twins and Rin chose a table. Kyuu soon arrived, dressed in a black pant, a white shirt with a black jacket. He also had a red butterfly necktie. Rin examined him up and down, then pouted.

"Kyuu-nii, why did you choose this clothes? You look like an old penguin. You should wear the maid clothe. It's prettier. You will look prettier," Rin said.

"And old…" Hikari said.

"…penguin…?" Hikaru said.

"Pfffffffffffff! Hahahahahaha!" Hikari and Hikaru laughed.

Syuusuke, Ryuu snickered, chuckling.

"Rin…" Ryoma slowly trailed, sweat dropping. She wasn't sure of what to say to Rin.

Kyuu was twitching his eyebrow. He looked down at his five year old little sister, who barely reached his knees. Kyuu kneel down at her level.

"Rin, I'm a boy. That's why I wear the boy clothes," Kyuu explained.

"Hmn…" Rin nodded. "But Rin still think that you will look prettier in the maid outfit!"

"Wuahahahaha!" Hikari and Hikaru laughed louder. This time, Syuusuke and Ryuu joined them too.

"Hahahahahaha!"

"Otou-san, Ryuu, Hikari, Hikaru, that's enough!" Kyuu said, vein popping on his head. "Now, what do you want to order? And by the way, we don't serve sweets with wasabi, otou-san, Rin!"

"Bouweee…" Rin pouted. Syuusuke chuckled.

"Rin, if you're a good girl, tou-san will give you an extra portion of wasabi tonight," Syuusuke said. Ryoma grimaced. Syuusuke saw her, chuckled again. But Rin was happy.

"Hai! Rin will be a good girl!" she said with a bright smile.

"Then your order?" Kyuu asked, notepad and pencil in hand.

"A black coffee for me," Syuusuke said.

"Tea and caramel flan," Ryoma said.

"Same as mother," Ryuu said.

"We want a chocolat cake!" the twins said.

"Rin wants a strawberry short cake!"

"Okay. It will be right away," Kyuu said as he scribbled in his notepad.

"Kyuu-nii, can Rin comes with you and see all the cakes?" Rin asked. Kyuu looked up to Syuusuke. Syuusuke nodded.

"Fine, but behave," Kyuu said.

"Hai!"

* * *

"Oooooh!" Rin licked her lips as she watched all the cakes displayed. "So yummy!" Kyuu put Syuusuke cup of coffee in the tray and prepared to leave.

"Rin, let's go!" Kyuu told her.

"Wait, Kyuu-nii! Can Rin carry her cake please?"

"Very well, but be careful not to drop it," he said. Kyuu took her cake from the tray and gave to her.

"Hai!"

Kyuu walked ahead and Rin followed him. Half way, Rin tripped.

"Ahhhhh!" Rin screamed as she felt. She closed her eyes, waiting for the impact to the ground. "Oufffff!" She collided. But it wasn't on the hard and rough ground. She felt into something soft and warm.

"Are you alright, little girl?" a boy's voice said. Rin opened her eyes to see that she was in someone's arms. She looked up to her rescuer and her eyes widen.

"Ichigo-niichan (9)!" Rin said. It was the boy who rescued her from the tree from that time when she found Ruru.

"I-chigo…?" the boy said, frowning. He set Rin on her two feet, examining to see if she hit her head somewhere.

_'Why would she call me a strawberry?'_ the boy wondered. He looked closely at her. Her black hair with chestnut hints to the shoulder. A small ponytail on the right side of her head. Huge golden orbs… And a green chameleon on her head. Then it struck him.

"Ah! I remember you! You are the little girl who was stuck in the tree with this little chameleon. I think your name is Rin, am I right?"

"Hmn! It's Rin!" Rin said. "Thank you for saving Ruru and Rin last time!"

"Ruru? Ah! You mean that's your friend's name." The boy chuckled. He looked at Ruru, smiling. "Nice to meet you again, Ruru!"

"Ruru!" Ruru said. Chuchu jumped from Rin's shoulder to the boy's arm. He ran all around the boy's body, then stopped at his shoulder, nuzzling his nose against the boy's cheek. The boy laughed.

"It's tickle!" the boy said. Rin smiled bigger.

"Ah! Ichigo-niichan, Chuchu likes you!"

"Ichi…" The boy thought a moment. "Ah! I see. It's because of the strawberry candy I gave you that you name me like that."

"Hmn! Hmn!" Rin nodded vividly. "Rin likes strawberry. Rin is going to eat a strawberry cake with tou-san, kaa-san and niisan-tachi. Ah! Where is Rin's cake?" She looked to the right. Then the left. Then the right again. She spotted it, her strawberry cake. But it crushed on the ground. "Bouweee! Rin's cake crushed," Rin cried.

"Hora hora," the boy said, patting her head. "Here, take this." He gave her another one.

"Nii-chan, this is…"

"It's mine, but I'll give it to you."

"Really?" Rin asked. He nodded. Rin smiled.

"Arigatou, nii-chan!" She took the cake. He smiled, chuckling.

"Rin-chan, you're much prettier when you smile." He gave her a last pat on the head, stood up and left.

"Bye bye nii-chan, thank you again!" Rin waved to him. He returned to give her a last wave too.

* * *

"Rin, where have you been?" Ryoma asked as she saw Rin coming.

"Rin met a friend. Rin dropped her cake and he gave Rin his," Rin said.

"Now sit down with me and eat," Ryoma said.

"Hai, kaa-san." Rin picked her fork and dug in her cake. Then, she remembered something.

_'Ah! Rin forgot to ask Ichigo-niichan's name again.'_ She tilted her head._ 'It will be for another time then.'_

* * *

(1) hayaku: hurry;

(2) iku yo: let's go;

(3) honto: equivalent for "For real!";

(4) sensei: teacher.

(5) fusai: Mr. and Mrs.

(6) iie: no, it's nothing.

(7) -tachi: suffix involving more than one person. Yamaki-sensei is referring to Hikari and Hikaru.

(8) honto: "Really!"

(9) ichigo: strawberry.


	6. Ichigoniichan again!

Syuusuke, Ryoma and Rin sat among the parents and spectators. The play "Snow White" was going to start soon.

"Rin is so excited, otou-san!" Rin said, dancing her legs on the chair. Syuusuke chuckled and prepared his digital camera. From inside her pocket, Bee and Boo jumped out.

"Ah! Bee! Boo! Wait! Where are you going?!"

But Bee and Boo continued their way.

"Reebbit! Reebbit!"

Rin slipped a glance at her parents. Her mother was helping her father preparing the video camera. Silently, Rin slipped down her seat and sneaked away to where she saw Bee and Boo disappeared.

"Bee, Boo, wait!" Rin told them.

"Reebbit! Reebbit!" Bee and Boo cawed.

The two frogs leaded Rin to behind the stage, where the student were preparing themselves for the play.

* * *

"Daidouji-senpai, will you be alright?" Rin heard Kaori asked.

Daidouji coughed and shook her head.

"No. (_Cough cough cough)_ My throat hurts. (_Cough cough)_," Daidouji said. And she coughed again.

"In that case, you cannot do the play," Hikari said.

"What should we do? We don't have a someone else to play the role of the witch," Hikaru said, scratching his head.

"Here nee-san, take this candy. It's very good for sore throat," a little voice said. Daidouji looked down to see a little girl with a chameleon on her head, a squirrel and a tiny owl on her shoulder. The little girl was holding a round green and white mint candy to her.

"Ah… Thank you (_cough cough)_ little girl (_cough)_," Daidouji said as she took the candy.

"Dou itashimashite, nee-san!" Rin grinned.

"Rin! What are you doing here?" Kyuu said, surprised. What was she doing here? Kyuu picked her up.

"I'm sorry Daidouji. This is my little sister," Kyuu said. Daidouji chuckled.

"It's alright. (_Cough cough)_. She just gave me a candy. (_Cough cough)_."

"Rin, what are you doing here?" Hikari asked.

"Bee and Boo escaped so Rin followes them here," Rin answered.

"Do tou-san and kaa-san know that you're here?" Hikaru said.

"Hmm… Hmm… Hmm…" Rin hesitated.

"That means they don't," Kyuu concluded, sighing. "Rin, kaa-san and tou-san must be worried about you by now. I'm bringing you back to them," Kyuu said.

"Wait Kyuu, I will go," Ryuu said. "Prepare yourself for the play."

"But but but…" Rin squirmed in Kyuu's arms.

"Kyuu, let me," Ryuu said. He took his cellphone and flipped it. He waited until the other side opened his cell phone.

"Ryuu?" Syuusuke said. "I'm sorry Ryuu, can you call later. We must find Rin," Syuusuke hastily said. It looked like he was running, searching everywhere for Rin.

"Tou-san, Rin is here with us," Ryuu said.

"What?!" Syuusuke stopped. He turned to Ryoma. "Ryoma, it's Ryuu. Rin is with the boys."

"What?!" Ryoma took the cellphone from Syuusuke. "Ryuu, is she alright? Is she hurt?" Ryoma asked worriedly.

"No kaa-san, she is fine. She slipped in the changing room because of Bee and Boo," Ryuu explained. Ryoma sighed, relieved.

"I will reprimand her later," Ryoma said. Syuusuke took the cellphone back.

"Ryuu, let me talk to her," Syuusuke said.

"Hai, tou-san." Ryuu turned over to Rin and gave her his cellphone. "Rin, tou-san wants to talk to you."

"Huh?" Rin took the phone. "Tou-san, is Rin."

"Rin, what you did was really bad. Kaa-san and I search every where for you," Syuusuke scolded. "You should have tell us where you want to go."

"Rin is sorry, tou-san. Rin didn't mean to be bad."

"Kaa-san will scold you later," Syuusuke said.

Silence. Rin bite her lips.

"Hai…" Rin sighed. She deserved it.

"Now, let tou-san talk with Ryuu."

"Hai, tou-san." Rin gave the cellphone back to Ryuu.

"Tou-san?" Ryuu said.

"Tell me how to get to the changing room. We will come to take Rin," Syuusuke said.

Ryuu looked down at Rin, who was looking at him with pleading eyes.

"It's alright tou-san. I can keep an eye on her. Don't worry."

"But will she disturb you?"

"No, not at all. It will be fine tou-san. We will bring her back later."

Syuusuke thought for a moment.

"Fine. We will let her in your hands," Syuusuke said.

"Hmn." Ryuu smiled. Seeing that, Rin smiled too. "Don't worry about her. Jaa, see you later, tou-san."

"See you later too. Do you best for the play."

"Hai."

Syuusuke flipped in cellphone in his pocket.

"Rin will be fine. Ryuu is keeping an eye on her," Syuusuke said to Ryoma. Ryoma sighed.

"She will be ground tomorrow," Ryoma said. Syuusuke smiled and put an arm on her waist.

"Now, let's go back before the play starts before us."

* * *

Back to the backstage.

"Now, how are we going to do for the play?" Hikaru asked, scratching his head. He saw Rin, who was holding Ryuu's hand.

_'Ah! I have an idea!'_ he thought.

* * *

Snow White play, presented by the students of Seiyou Academy.

"Once upon a time, there were a king and a queen living in a kingdom," Aori, the narrator, told.

A boy and a girl, dressed in royaml costumes stepped on the stage.

"The king and the queen don't have children, but they pray everyday to have one. One winter day, as the queen was sewing near her window, she pricked her finger with her needle. From her finger, three blood drops felt on the snow. The queen made a wish."

"Please kami-sama, grant me a girl child. Her skin will be as white as the snow, her lips, as red as the blood and her hair as black as the ebony," the queen prayed.

"A year later, the queen gave birth to a girl, who has the skin as white as the snow, the lips as red as the blood and the hair as black as the ebony. The queen named her Snow White."

The king and the queen were holding a (doll) baby.

"But soon, the queen died, leaving the child orphan from a mother."

The queen was in the bed, the king crying near her.

"Later, the king married a new queen, who became Snow White's step-mother. The new queen was a beautiful woman, who was known to be the most beautiful woman in the world. But no one knows that she was actually a witch with a black heart. The witch queen has a magical mirror, where a spirit lives inside. The spirit knows about everything in the world. Everyday, the queen comes to see that spirit and asks him one question."

The new queen stepped on the stage, her intendant with her. But… The girl who played the witch queen was pretty small… She bearely reached her intendant's knees. The witch queen… was a little girl!

"Tou-san! Kaa-san! Look! Rin is the witch! Isn't she scary?" Rin chirped, flapping eagerly her arms.

The audience laughed.

"Rin?!" Ryoma exclaimed as Syuusuke opened his eyes.

"Oh my! She's adorable!" a mother in the public said.

"Hmn!" her husband nodded agreely with her.

"Kawaii!" someone said.

Many people snatched a picture of Rin. Syuusuke don't miss to record it, silently chuckling.

"Pssst! Rin, say your lines!" Hikaru, the queen's attendant, whispered to Rin.

"Ah! Oh yeah!" Rin cleared her throat. Rin raised her arms up. "Mirror, mirror, tell me who is the most beautiful woman in the world?"

* * *

Curiously, the play was a success. Despite the fact that the main character was Snow White, it was the witch who was the most favorite one in the play. The witch was cute and adorable, especially with her chameleon on her magic wand, her little owl on her left shoulder, two frogs on her right shoulder and a squirrel that followed her every steps.

After the play, there was a firework. Rin, in Syuusuke's arms, wanted to be higher so she can see more the firework. She searched. Then, she spotted the right spot. She jumped out of her father's arms and went to that spot.

"Rin?" Syuusuke wondered as he watched her scurried away on her small legs. Rin reached the spot she spotted. She looked up. Indeed, it was the best place of all to watch the firework.

Grab.

Climb.

Climb.

Climb.

On the top.

It was the BEST place to see a firework.

"Pffffffff! Hahahahaha!" Syuusuke, seeing her, sniggered, and laughed.

"What is it, Syuusuke?" Ryoma asked. Syuusuke pointed to where Rin was sitting.

Ryoma turned her head to the direction Syuusuke was pointing.

"Ah! Rin!" Ryoma yelped. Rin was sat on Kabaji's head, enjoying the firwork.

Kabaji was the tallest person in the crowd. So on Kabaji's head, it was the higest place to have the best view of the firework. The Atobe bodyguard was stoic, not saying nor doing anything. He just made sure that Rin was steady on his head and that she don't fall. Anyway, he was there to make sure she was safe.

Ryoma sighed as Syuusuke continued to laugh.

"Hahahahahaha!"

* * *

After the firework, it was the dancing party. A small orchestra was playing a background music.

Rin sat, watching her parents dancing together. Her mother and her father were looking into each other's eyes, smiling, as if they were alone in the world. Rin smiled too. Her parents looked so happy together. Rin wanted to dance with them too. But she don't want to disturb her parents' private moment. After a moment, Syuusuke pulled Ryoma closer to him and started to nib her ear, his hand sliding to her left breast, squeezing it.

"Syuusuke! Stop it! We are in public!" Ryoma hissed.

"Huhuhuhu!" Syuusuke chuckled, but don't stop. It's so fun to tease her.

Then, Hikari and Hikaru came to them, running.

"Tou-san! Kaa-san!" Hikari called.

"Hmn? What is it?" Syuusuke asked.

"Tou-san, can you stop gropping kaa-san for a moment please?" Hikari said.

"Hikari!" Ryoma exclaimed in a scandalized tone.

"We need her for a moment," Hikari said.

"You can grope her as much as you want when we will be back home. We promise we won't disturb you tonight," Hikaru said.

"Hikaru!" Ryoma scandalized.

"Really? I can have her all for myself tonight?" Syuusuke said happily, very enticed by the idea. "Then I will lend her for you for now. But you remembere not to disturb us tonight, nee!"

"Syuusuke!" Ryoma yelped.

"Hai, tou-san!" Hikari and Hikaru said.

"Now, come with us, kaa-san!" And Ryoma got dragged away as Syuusuke chuckled.

Rin laughed as she saw the scene.

* * *

"Young lady, would you like to dance?" someone proposed to Rin. A boy was bended before her, the left arm behind his back, the right hand out for her. Rin looked curiously at him. He rose his head and smiled. Rin smiled back.

"Ichigo-niichan!"

The boy, now let's call him Ichigo, smiled again.

"Would you give me the honor to accord me this dance, princess?"

Rin vigorously nodded.

"Hmn!" Then the remembered. "Ah… But Rin doesn't know how to dance…" She blushed.

The boy chuckled.

"It's alright. I will teach you."

Smiling brightly, Rin put her hand in his.

"I saw you in the play, as the queen," Ichigo said.

"You saw Rin? Was Rin a scary queen?" Rin asked excitedly.

The boy chuckled.

"Scary? Maybe not…"

Rin became sad.

"Buweeee… Rin failed. Rin was supposed to be a scary queen. Rin ruined the play… Bwueeee…"

"I don't think that you ruined the play. I think that you gave the play a refreshing new way to see it. I really like it. And I also think that you were an adorable little queen. And I'm sure everybody who saw the play also think like me," Ichigo nicely said.

"Really?"

"Hmn!"

"Then Rin is happy," Rin said with a huge smile. The boy smiled.

"Rin-chan, you're much prettier when you smile."

* * *

After a while, the boy talked again.

"I'm very happy to see you tonight, Rin-chan," he said. "Tomorrow, I will leave Japan to go to England."

"Oh… You're leaving?" Rin said, a little bit disappointed.

"Yes. I was a little bit sad, but you make me happy again," the boy said. He looked down at her. "I wish I could bring my little queen with me," he added, chuckling.

"Little queen?" Rin asked.

"You are my little queen," the boy said, chuckling. Rin looked up at him.

"Will you be back?" Rin asked.

"I will, but no before a long long time."

"Then when you will be back, can Rin dance with you again?"

"Oh?" The boy looked down at her. She was looking up at him with shining eyes. He smiled. "It will be my pleasure."

"Hihihihi!" Rin laughed. Then she stopped dancing. She removed the pair of burgundy ribbons from her hair and gave one to the boy, keeping one herself. "Here, nii-chan take this!"

"What is it?" the boy asked as he look at the ribbon.

"Aunty Himiko gave them to Rin. She said they are a pair of magical ribbons. She told me "Even if they were separated, some day, they will be back together again". So, if Ichigo-niichan keeps one ribbon and Rin keeps the other, one day, we will see each other again. And Rin will dance with nii-chan again!" she chirped.

The boy looked bewildered at her. But seeing her smile, he smiled too.

"Very well. I will keep preciously this ribbon until we meet again," he said, closing his finger around the ribbon.

"Hihihihi!" Rin laughed. The boy smiled.

"I will also give you something," the boy said. He put an arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him. Then, he kissed her cheek.

"Ah!" Rin got caught by surprise. She blushed.

"Promise me," the boy said. "Until I come back, don't let anyone else kiss you."

"Not even tou-san, kaa-san and niisan-tachi?" Rin asked in a sad voice. The boy chuckled.

"If they are your family, then it's fine," the boy said. "But if they are not, don't let them kiss you. This cheek of yours now belongs solely to me," he added, tipping her left cheek, where he kissed her.

"Hihihihihi! Okay!" Rin put her arms around the boy's neck and kissed his cheek too. "Ichigo-niichan, Rin loves you," she said. The boy smiled.

"I love you too, my little queen," the boy said.

* * *

The next day, in a private jet in direction to England, Ichigo-boy took out from his wallet the burgundy ribbon a little girl gave him.

_'Rin-chan nee?'_ The boy smiled, remembering her.

_"Itterashai (1)!"_ she told him before they separated.

The boy smiled. She made him feel like he was only going out and that he would be back home again. But it was also true that he intented to return back to her again.

_'I will come back again. And I will find you, Rin-chan,'_ the boy thought.

But just realized something.

_'Ah! Come to think about it, I don't know her family name…__'_

He examined the ribbon. Then, frowned. He inspected the tint of the burgundy color and rubbed the ribbon between his finger. It was made from pure silk. Something from this was familiar to him.

_'This ribbon…'_

He hastely examined the two ends of the ribbon, searching for something. He found it.

_'Ah! Here!'_

He raised the ribbon high above his head and made the light reflected on the textile. Under the light reflection, an emblem was visible. The boy widen his eyes, not believing what he saw.

_'This ribbon is the…'_

_

* * *

_

1) itterashai: have a safe trip._  
_


	7. Pricky prince!

A/N: It's been so long! Probably you must have thought that I gave up on this story. But no, I was just really into my other fanfic, Seiyou Academy. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it!

* * *

Rin silently grunted between her teeth. Grumpy face. Eyebrows frowned.

_'Why must I dance with him?!? Why that stupid tradition that the top boy and top girl must open the graduation ball?! Why me? And why with **HIM**?!!'_

Fuji Rin. Age 15. Currently attending her high school graduation prom.

15?

Prom graduation?

Yes. Graduating high school at 15. A little genius one would said. Must have something to do with her father, Fuji Syuusuke, a tensai (1). Genius blood must run in the family. Actually, when she first start primary school, she already knows how to read and to write, thanks to her big brothers' teaching. So she skipped three grades.

She had always been the top student of all her classes. Up to this year, her last year before university. Why was she no longer the first student? Because of _HIM_!

_Him _was Souma Yuu. 17 of age. He was royalty. He was a cousin of the emperor of Japan. He lived in England many years but just recently returned back to Japan. Because of his perfect score when he took the entrance examination of Seiyou Academy, he was made president of the Student Council body. He had silver white hair and lilacs eyes. Being a member of the royal family, he was considered the prince of Seiyou. Handsome and good looking, charming character, highly intelligent. The perfect guy in the eyes of all the girls in Seiyou.

Except in Rin's eyes.

_'He's a sneaky prick, arrogant, stuck up, obnoxious, show off, malicious, mischivous…'_

Anyway, you have a idea of what she thought about him. And that was only a peek of her opinion of him. You don't know the rest.

In short, Rin hated him.

To be able to keep her average, she had to work very hard. She was always buried in her books and was proud to be first in all her class. But the most important thing to Rin, it was her mother's pride of her.

"Kaa-san is so proud to have such a smart girl," Ryoma would always said when Rin brought home her report card. It always made Rin happy when Ryoma said those words. And she also got reward by a special treat from her mother. Just to see her mother's proud smile, Rin made a promise to herself to always be the first. And she had always kept her promised…

Up to this year…

_'Upon the apparition of this pricky, arrogant, stuck up, obnoxious…' _

Err… I hope you have an idea of who Rin was referring about…

Ever since he was transferred, Rin lost her statue of the top student of her promotion. She always failed second behind him. Even if she put twice more time to study, she always failed. And the worst of all, that cocky false 'prince' (he is not a prince in Rin's opinion) never have to work hard.

_'I work so hard to beat him, but I only got in second! Again! Why? Why?!' _Rin yelled in her head.

Photographic memory. Because he had a photographic memory. Everything he saw but once would permanently stay in his memory. Pretty useful, a photographic memory. The headquarter of the police of Japan loved him. With his intelligence and outstanding memory, he help them solve numerous unresolved cases and crimes. As for school, he needed to read a book but only once and will remember it for the rest of his life. So he doesn't need to study to have good marks. Nothing like her. So unfair.

Rin glared menacingly at him, shooting daggers to him. Why Seiyou Academy must have this stupid tradition that the top boy and the top girl of the students must open the graduation ball!?

* * *

Her partner looked down at the short girl in his arms, who obviously wanted to kill him. He smirked. He knew exactly what she was thinking. Such an amusing little girl! He was never bored whenever she was around.

Seeing his smirk, Rin grunted again and turned her eyes away from him, refusing to look at him any longer.

Unaware to her, Yuu's smirk soften into a smile. Fuji Rin was nothing like the other girls in school. The youngest girl of her promotion, but the smartest. Only second to him, which pissed her off. Yuu silently laughed. Despite how much she tried to surpass him, she always failed. But each time she failed, it would made her be more competitive for the next time. Clearly, she refused to fall behind him, which why she never bored him.

She was very hard working and serious. Not girly-like like all the girls of her age behaved. Sometimes, she prove to be more mature than her seniors. Quick to grab the most important things in tedious situations and know to make fast and reliable decisions. He had to admit, she was a very good secretary. Thanks to her, his responsibilities as Student Council president were easier to carry. But then, it wasn't on her free will that she became his secretary. She lose a bet to him on a test, by one point.

_'She didn't change from the little girl ten years ago,' _Yuu remembered.

* * *

Flashback

That day, he wasn't feeling good. He just lost his parents and felt like no one in the world needed him anymore. He wondered why he even existed in this world. That was when he heard someone crying near by. That was how he found her, stuck in a tree, a chameleon in her hands. She tried to save her little lizard friend but ended up stuck herself. Though she was a little scared because he was a stranger to her, she pleaded him to help her. Yuu was touched by that little girl. She, a stranger, needed him. She needed his help. She made him felt that he had a reason to exist on this world. He found a reason to continue to live on this world.

Then, before he had to left for England, his cousin Himiko invited him to the school festival of her children's school. At first, he didn't really want to go, but she kept insisting, so he accepted. What a surprised when he bumped into the little chameleon girl again. She tripped while carrying her cake and almost crashed on the ground. Again, he help her before she hurt herself. And again, he felt that he was needed in this world. And he was very happy. He was also amused that she gave him a name: "Ichigo-niichan". The way she called his (new) name brought a warmth feeling to his loneliness. That was when he made a decision. Every time they met, he always found her caught in some troubles. She needed to be protected. She _needed him_ to protect her. He would be the one who will protect her. She would be his to protect. She would be his. He kissed her, marking her be his.

"Promise me, until I come back, don't let anyone else kiss you."

End flashback

* * *

Yuu smiled again at the memory. He tenderly looked at the brown head girl in his arms.

_'I wonder if she had forgot about me? If she had kept her promise to me?'_

* * *

Flashback

In the airplane bringing him to England, young boy Yuu was determined to find her again when he would be back to Japan. But he didn't know where to start his research. The only things he knew about her was her first name, Rin. She had normal brown hair and a set of unusual golden eyes. And she always carried a chameleon with her. He didn't know her family name or where she lived.

He touched his cheek, where she kissed him - more likely smooching him.

_'How am I going to find you again, Rin-chan?'_ he wondered as he played with the ribbon she gave him.

But as he rubbed the surface of the ribbon, the texture of the silk - very familiar to him to the touch - caught his attention. The softness of the ribbon was from a very high quality silk, from a silk that only the royal family exclusively possessed. But the little girl wasn't a member of the royal family, she couldn't have possessed such a hight quality material. However, the ribbon felt very much like the royal family silk. Could it be it was a silk from the royal family? To be sure, he searched for the prove. All the silk of the royal family had a special marking.

Hastily, he searched for that marking, from one end of the ribbon, then the other end.

_'This ribbon…'_

He hastily examined the two ends of the ribbon, searching for something. He found it.

_'Ah! Here!'_

He raised the ribbon high above his head and made the light reflected on the textile. Under the light reflection, an emblem was visible. The boy widen his eyes, not believing what he saw.

_'This ribbon is the…'_

He couldn't believe it.

_'This ribbon IS from the royal family!'_ he realized from the royal crest emblem on the ribbon. _'But how did she came in possession of this ribbon?'_

_

* * *

_

1) tensai: genius.


	8. Memory and souvenir

From last time…

_'This ribbon…'_

He hastily examined the two ends of the ribbon, searching for something. He found it.

_'Ah! Here!'_

He raised the ribbon high above his head and made the light reflected on the textile. Under the light reflection, an emblem was visible. The boy widen his eyes, not believing what he saw.

_'This ribbon is the…'_

He couldn't believe it.

_'This ribbon IS from the royal family!'_ he realized from the royal crest emblem on the ribbon. _'But how did she came in possession of this ribbon?'_

* * *

(Next part of the flashback)

Ten years later…

A Benz car stopped in front of the Atobe mansion. The driver opened the door of the car and a tall and elegant young man around seventeen stepped out of the car.

"Souma-sama, welcome back. Oku-sama (1) is waiting for you," Enzou, Atobe's old butler, greeted him. "Please, follow me."

Enzou guide Yuu into a private living room, where a lady around her forty was waiting, reading a letter from England. She had silver hair with lilac tints and lilac eyes, exactly the same tribute to Yuu.

"Oku-sama, Souma-sama is here," Enzou announced.

"Thank you, Enzou," the lady said. "You can bring us the tea now. We will take it here."

"Kashikomarimashita (2), oku-sama," Enzou said. He bowed and left the room.

"Yuu-kun, welcome back to Japan," the woman said while coming to him, hugging him in her arms. "I have miss you very much. I hope you had enjoy your life in England."

"Arigatou, Himiko-neesan," Yuu greeted his aunt, hugging her back.

"You have become a very elegant young man, Yuu-kun," Himiko said. "I am sure Misao-neesan would feel so proud if she sees you today."

". . ." Yuu didn't replied.

Enzou brought the tea, saving him from having to say anything. Himiko sighed. It seemed to her that she really cannot changed his opinion about his mother.

Suzuki Misao was Himiko's elder sister. When Himiko was ten, Misao was married to Souma Suou from the royal family and gave birth to a boy, Souma Yuu. Because of their position, Yuu's parents often travelled around the world, leaving Yuu alone. To make him felt less lonely, Himiko often came to play with him. Yuu grew to see her as a big sister more than his aunt. Since then, he always caller her "Himiko-neesan". The two of them were very closed until Himiko was married to Atobe Keigo and left to live with her husband. The aunt and the nephew sometime visited each other, but less than before because Himiko also have to take care of her own children.

When Yuu was ten, his parents died in an airplane crash. It wasn't like Yuu was very touched by their dead because he didn't see them often. On the other hand, it wasn't like he was indifferent either. He just wondered why he was still alive because it seemed to him that no one needed him. During his parent's funeral, people came to cry over his parents' dead, saying how much it was a lost for Japan. However, no one looked at him or came to talk to him. Only Himiko's family talked to him. Yuu grew cold and indifferent to everything.

He really wondered if there was a meaning of his existence on this world. That was when he met her, the little girl with a chameleon stuck in a tree.

That day, she saved him.

"Here, Yuu-kun, sit down," Himiko offer him a seat.

Yuu sat on the chair across Himiko while Himiko poured him a cup of tea.

"So, what do you want me to talk about?" Himiko asked.

"Himiko-neesan, you know about the protocole of the royal family?"

Himiko nodded.

"Everything of the royal family must stay in the royal family. Every belonging of the royal family is marked by the royal crest. And only members of the royal family or the relatives of the royal family can possess an item with the royal emblem. For example, when you married Atobe Keigo, being the sister of a princess of the royal family, you were given gifts marked with the royal crest."

"Yes, I remember," Himiko said. "What about it?"

"Ten years ago, before I left for England, I meet a girl who possessed an item of the royal family, but she is not from the royal family and I doubt that she is a relative of the royal family too."

"Ah so?"

"I want to find her. She had in her possession a pair of ribbon marked by the royal crest," Yuu said.

He slided his hand in his pocket and pulled out his walet. In the walet, he took out a burgundy ribbon carefully wrapped in a with craft paper to protect it.

"It's this ribbon," Yuu said as he gave it to Himiko. "She gave me one of the ribbons which was tying her hair."

Himiko took the ribbon and examined it.

"I thought the ribbon looks similar to the one the royal gave you on the day of your wedding to Atobe Keigo and I had a little research to confirm my doubt. And it did. It is in the serie made for your wedding," Yuu said.

"Yes, indeed, it's the same Misao-neesan gave me for my wedding," Himiko said.

"That's the reason why I was a little bit bothered," Yuu said. "How come the ribbons made for you end in the hands of that little girl."

"What is that little girl's name?"

"Rin. That's her given name. Rin. I looked in the the register of the members of the royal family and their relatives. There were some people named Rin, but it wasn't them. Or they were man or they were too old to be that little girl or they already die. The only option remained is to search outside of the royal family circle."

"Hmmm… With only the given name, it's a little hard, Yuu-kun," Himiko said. "There are a lot of people named Rin thorough out Japan."

"That's why I want your help," Yuu said. "Since the burgundy ribbons were given to you for your wedding and that she possesses one, I thought that she might somehow be connected to you. Don't you know a little girl named Rin in your relationships? Today, she must be around 14 or 15 of age now."

"Rin?" Himiko tilted her head. "Yes, there is someone around 14 I know, who is called Rin. But…"

"She has dark brown hair and slightly golden eyes. When I first met her, I found her stuck in a tree because she wanted to save her pet."

"A pet?"

"Yes, a chameleon."

"A _CHAMELEON_!!!!" Himiko jumped on her seat, surprising Yuu. "A little girl with brown hair and golden eyes and a chameleon? Are you absolutely sure, Yuu-kun?"

"Y-yes…" Yuu said, a little bit shock by her outburst.

Himiko searched in her memory.

"How did she…?" she muttered.

Yuu looked at the expression on Himiko's face.

"Himiko-neesan, do you have someone in your mind?"

"Ah! I remember now!" Himiko suddenly said, hitting her palms. "That's right! It was me!"

It seemed that she had forgot about the young man with her.

"Hi-himiko-neesan…?" Yuu called.

Himiko snapped back to tthe reality.

"Oh! I'm sorry, Yuu-kun!" Himiko excused. "I was trying to remember how did she had the ribbons. I remember now. It was me who gave her the ribbons."

"So, you know who is she?"

"Yes, it's Rin-chan!"

* * *

Flashback

Rin had been playing with her brothers and Atobe's children, Daiichi, Kaori and Aori, all day. They have been running everywhere in the garden. When they finally stopped, they were tired. And Rin was a mess.

"Rin-chan, you'are all messy," Himiko said. "If your mother sees you like this, she would be displeased."

"Ahhhh! Rin forgot!"

Ryoma had specifically told her not to run outside today because they would received special guesses. Rin must be cleaned.

"Buweeeeeeeee! Rin will be scolded again!"

"There there, don't cry, Rin-chan," Himiko told her. "Come here, obaa-san will fix it for you."

Himiko bend down and arranged Rin's two ponytails. But because Rin ran around, she lose the yellow ribbons Ryoma used to bind her hair. Himiko took out two other ribbons. But they weren't yellow. They were burgundy.

"Obaa-san, these ribbons aren't yellow."

"Huhuhu! I know. But we don't have enough time to find your ribbons before your mother arrive. These ribbons will replace your ribbons."

"Oh!"

"Do you know, Rin-chan, these ribbons are special. They are magical ribbons!"

"Magical?! How come?" Rin excitedly asked, her interest picked.

"These ribbons are unique. You cannot found them anywhere. They have special power. They can never be part away. If somehow they were separated, they would always be back together some day."

End flashback

* * *

"I told her the ribbons were magical," Himiko recalled. She giggled, amused by the souvenir.

"Come to think about it, the little girl also told me that her ribbons were magical," Yuu said. "Even if they were separated, some day, they will be back together again," he quoted.

"Then it must be her, Rin," Himiko said. "She was the only person to whom I gave the ribbons and told that story."

"Hmm… Rin huh?… What is her family name?"

"Fuji. Fuji Rin," Himiko said. "She attended to Seiyou Academy too, like Daiichi, Kaori and Aori. This year, she will graduated. She is appointed to be the secretary of Student Council body."

"Seiyou Academy huh? So, she will be my secretary," Yuu said, a finger tapping his right cheek.

Then, he smiled.

"This year seems to be interesting."

End flashback

* * *

_'And it was a very interesting school year this year,'_ Yuu thought.

He smiled again as he swirled the girl in his arms.

* * *

1) oku-sama: a polite way to refer to someone's wife. If pronounced like people in Tokyo, you say "Ok", skip the "u" at the ending.

2) kashikomarimashita: extremely polite way to say "I understand". Usually used toward one's superior ot to someone with a very high social position.


	9. Okaeri Ichigoniichan

Fom last time…

"Fuji. Fuji Rin," Himiko said. "She attended to Seiyou Academy. This year, she will graduated. She is appointed to be the secretary of Student Council body."

"Seiyou Academy huh? So, she will be my secretary," Yuu said, a finger tapping his right cheek. Then, he smiled. "This year seems to be interesting."

_'And it was a very interesting school year this year,'_ Yuu thought. He smiled again as he swirled the girl in his arms.

* * *

_'I wonder if she remember me?'_ Yuu wondered as he swirled her in his arms. As they swirled, Rin crossed eyes with her father, who was dancing with her mother. Syuusuke was watching her, an eyebrow raised, not very pleased of what he saw.

_'Rin, I taught you better than that,'_ her father's eyes were saying to her. Rin pouted.

_'But I-…!' _Rin's eyes tried to protest.

_'Rin…' _Syuusuke's eyes said again. Rin perfectly got the impression that he elongated her name too. _'Rin, when you dance with a boy, you must look into his eyes, paying attention to him. It is the minimum of respect.'_ Her father told her these words when he first taught her to dance. Rin grunted a last time, but resigned herself. Syuusuke smiled, satisfied.

"Ha…" Rin sighed. Then slowly, she brought her eyes up to Yuu's.

First, from the middle of his chest…

Then, up to the second button of the shirt of his white suit…

Then, the first button…

Then, to his necktie…

To his burgundy necktie…

To his burgundy ribbon necktie…

". . ." Rin cocked an eyebrow, head tilted, as she looked at his necktie.

_'That strange…'_ she thought, frowning now_. 'His necktie is almost the same as my ribbon,' _Rin thought.

Indeed, Yuu's necktie looked very similar to the ribbon adorning the small ponytail on the right side of her head. The color was the same. An outsider would also said that the two ribbons were the same. But Rin's ribbon was a gift from auntie Himiko. When auntie Himiko gave her the ribbon, which came in a pair, auntie Himiko told her that the ribbons were unique and that you couldn't find them anywhere else. So, there was no way Souma Yuu's necktie would be the same as her unique burgundy ribbon. Souma Yuu couldn't have the same ribbon as her. The only person who possesse the same ribbon as her was her savior from ten years ago, the little boy whom she named 'Ichigo-niichan'.

_'Hum… Ichigo-niichan… __I wonder what became of Ichigo-niichan? Is he still in England?' _Did he still keep the ribbon she gave him? Rin really hoped so. And that brought her back to the ribbon which was wore by Souma Yuu. Rin watched Yuu's necktie again. It was the same color as the ribbon in her hair. But more than the same color, it was…

_'Ah!' _Something flashed in Rin's head. _'IT's the same kind of ribbon!'_

Rin wasn't mistaken. It was the same ribbon. Rin couldn't be mistaken. For over ten years, Rin always preciously kept her ribbon. She wore it only on special events: her birthday, Christmas party, first day of school, etc.. The ribbon became her lucky charm to her and it carried all her most precious souvenirs from her childhood. So Rin perfectly knew about all to the tiniest details and the smallest thread. And if the ribbon which was a pair with her ribbon appeared again in front of her, Rin would immediately recognize it. Rin wouldn't mistake it with another one, especially that the pair of ribbons were unique. But then, why Souma Yuu's ribbon was so exactly similar to hers?

_'NO!'_ Rin screamed in her head.

There was no way Souma Yuu's ribbon would be the same as her. Auntie Himiko had told so: the ribbons were unique and couldn't be find anywhere. Thus left only her and Ichigo-niichan, who could possesse the ribbons. So, there was no way Souma Yuu could have bought his burgundy ribbon necktie anywhere.

_'Unless…'_

Unless he was…

"ICHIGO-NIICHAN!!!" Rin bursted in the ballroom. People stopped dancing and everybody curiously watched her. Rin blushed, embarrassed. She bited her lips and gathered herself back. Yuu smiled and conducted her away in an isolate place, on the balcony of the ballroom. When they were alone, Rin looked up to him, now meeting his eyes.

"I-Ichigo… niichan?" she hesitatedly asked, her voice trambling a little bit. Yuu smicked.

"So, you finally remembered me," Yuu said. "I was wondering how long it would take you to remember me. I was getting desperate, you know?"

"A-… ah…" Rin stuttered as she looked at the now familiar eyes expression of the boy ten years ago. "B-b-but… but… but… Your hair… your eyes… They are not the same color… Your hair were grey ten eyars ago, not silver. And our eyes! You eyes were also grey ten years ago. Not lilac!" Yuu chuckled.

"It was true that my eyes and hair were grey when I was young. But after that I hit puberty, they changed color. It's something very common in the family of my mother," Yuu explained. "Haven't you notice the same phenomen in my cousins Kaori and Aori?" Rin frowned.

"It is true that Kaori-neechan's and Aori-neechan's hair changed color a few years ago. Their hair became white like auntie-Himiko's hair…"

"That's right. That's how it is in our family," Yuu said. "And here I thought that you would never recognized me again,_ Rin-chan_." He leaned down to her as called her by her first name, in the same way the little boy of ten years ago called her. Rin blushed because of the proximity between them. His face was very close to her. Yuu leaned closer again. This time, his forehead almost touching her. Rin's cheek took a darker shade of pink.

"So, Rin-chan, did you keep your promise to me? Did you let anyone kiss you? Am I still the first one who kiss you?" Rin's cheek became slightly red.

"H-Hai…"

"Hai? Hai what?" Yuu asked, a hint of amusement in his voice.

"Hum… Hum… Hum…" Rin chewed her lips. "Y-y-you are still the first…"

"The first…?" Yuu raised an eyebrow. "First what?" he teased her, knowing perfectly what she wanted to mean. Bu he just wanted to make her say it. He wanted to hear it from her lips.

"Y-y-you… you… you're still… the first one who had kissed Rin…"

_Fssssshhhhhhh!_

Rin's head seriously fumed and she was crimson like a tomato.

"Mmm-… Huhuhuhu!" Yuu chuckled, very happy. Rin pouted. Seeing that, he pulled her more into him and closed his fingers over hers. He leaned to her ear. "And as you can see, Rin-chan, I kept my promise to you too," he whispered. "I promised you that we will dance again once I would be back from England, my little queen," Yuu finished in a tender voice. Rin's face color changed from red to pink.

"Sou-Souma-senpai…" Rin stuttered.

"Hmm?" Yuu rose up, an eyebrow cocked. "Why don't you call me Ichigo-niichan again?"

"That was the time that I didn't know your true name."

"But now you know it. I call you Rin, so you must call me 'my beloved and only Yuu, to whom I gave my heart and soul'!"

"NO!" Rin blurted.

"Huhu hahaha!" Yuu laughed. Then, he leaned again to her ear. "So, Rin-chan, will you be my queen again? My unique and only queen?" Rin changed into a deeper shade of pink.

"Rin…" Yuu whispered against her ear, skipping over the suffix. His warm breath send shivers down her spin, making her trembling with a wonderful feeling. "I have always been waiting for you ever since we part… I don't want us to be separated again… Be with me Rin, forever…" His words entered her heart and soul.

"H-h-hai…" Rin shyly smiled.

"Rin-chan, you're much prettier when you smile," Yuu said.

_'Rin-chan, you're much prettier when you smile.'_

Rin's eyes wide. She remembered these words from the little boy of ten years ago.

"Ichigo-niichan…" Rin whispered at the souvenir. Yuu tenderly smiled. They stopped dancing. Yuu made a step back and stood in front of her, watching her. He wanted to ingrave her image of this moment in his memory. He was still amazed how, from an adorable and reckless little girl, she turned out into this beautiful and well round young lady. For a long moment, the two of them only looked into each other eyes. Then, he gathered her in his arms again, a hand on her waist, the other cupping her cheek.

"Even if they were separated, someday, they will be back together again," Yuu whispered in her ear. "Tadaima (1), Rin-chan…"

"Okaeri (2)… Yuu…" Rin whispered. Yuu rose his head to meet her eyes. Slowly, he took her chin between his fingers. He tilted her head and bend down his. His lips connected with hers.

**_OWARI_**

**_THE END_**

Omake!

Syuusuke chuckled as he watched them, but Ryoma wasn't finding it amusing. Ryoma was gasping like a fish out of the water, half of her face blue.

"Syuusuke, she is still too young!" Ryoma said.

"Maa maa, Ryoma," Syuusuke said. "You also have the same age then her when we meet. It's not that a problem!"

"But… But… But…"

"From the day he saved her from the tree ten years ago, she already belongs to him, Ryoma. He life already belongs to him," Syuusuke said. "Like you belongs to me." Fuji finished, pulling her to him. "Nee?" He wispered against her ear, one hand trailling up to her breast, squeezing it.

"Stop it, you pervert!" Ryoma grunted, but she couldn't escape because Syuusuke trapped her between him and the wall. So that was the real reason why he wanted them to be in an isolate place. It wasn't because he was worried after Rin after all.

"Stop it, I told you!" Ryoma protested again. Syuusuke chuckled, but didn't stop. "Stop it or I'll-…! Hum!" He covered his mouth over hers.

"Hum! Hum! Hum!" Ryoma fighted for a moment. But soon, she gave up to as Syuusuke's kiss soften. "Hummmm…" Feeling no resistance, Syuusuke looked at her face again, tenderly. Then again, he bend down and kissed her again.

* * *

1) tadaima: I'm back home;

2) okaeri: welcome back.

A/N: If you like this fanfic, then certainly you will like the manga "Meine Liebe", by Yuki Kaori and Izawa Rei. I took the idea of the ribbons from that manga. If you like, you can read "Meine Liebe" online.


End file.
